Chapter 39: Genius
However, now really wasn’t the time to think about all those irrelevant things. Mo Xiu carefully checked the man’s body again. Seeing that he truly had no serious injuries, he finally felt relieved and began sensing the energy within his own body.
He had just absorbed the crystal core of the mutated gray wolf, and his level had improved greatly.
However, unlike in his previous life where he had jumped straight to level five, his wind-type ability had only risen to the early stage of level four. His lightning ability was slightly better, approaching the mid stage of level four.
Each level of ability represented a huge leap in strength, so these two upgrades brought about a qualitative transformation.
Moreover, looking across the entire Shanhe Base, level four strength was absolutely the peak among all ability users here at the moment.
In fact, upgrading by absorbing the crystal cores of mutated plants and animals was not easy. It required enduring immense pain and risk.
Back in his previous life, absorbing this crystal core had been purely an accident and an act of desperation—just to survive.
In this life, however, he had Mo Qi’s help. Not only had the other person shared part of the risk, he had also spared Mo Xiu from much of the pain.
So what if his level increased a little less?
“How do you feel? Has your psychic ability changed at all?”
Mo Xiu actually wanted to ask how many levels the other person had gained, but he worried that Mo Qi might not understand.
Mo Qi froze for two seconds when he heard the question. If Mo Xiu hadn’t mentioned it again, he would have forgotten that he had pretended to be a psychic ability user in front of him.
But the problem was—he wasn’t an ability user at all. Everything he had used before was due to his divine consciousness.
So he scratched his head and explained, “Nothing changed. I’m still the same as always—still the strongest.”
When Mo Qi said he was the strongest, he truly didn’t feel guilty about it at all.
His divine consciousness really was the strongest thing in this world. If his body hadn’t been unable to withstand it, he wouldn’t have been forced to hold back like this.
Seeing how confidently he said it, Mo Xiu couldn’t help laughing helplessly.
“Yes, yes, you’re right. You’re the strongest.”
What else could he do? He could only indulge him.
But soon, Mo Xiu noticed something different about the person in front of him.
“Mo Qi, is your speaking speed faster now?” It was no longer like before, when he spoke slowly and took forever to finish a sentence.
“That’s right. My movements are faster too.”
Mo Qi waved his hand as he spoke, demonstrating for him.
“It’s all thanks to you. If it weren’t for that gray wolf’s demon core, I wouldn’t have recovered this well! Actually, I’m not stupid—it’s just my brain…”
He paused for a moment, trying to phrase it in a way Mo Xiu would understand.
“My brain is just too smart. My mind is too powerful, so my body couldn’t keep up before, which is why I acted like that in the past.
But now I’m fine. After absorbing the demon core, my body and brain are finally working together properly.”
“You mean you were never stupid—it was because your brain was too advanced for your body?” Mo Xiu was genuinely surprised.
He had heard of cases like this before. Some geniuses were said to be like that—their brains were too active, causing them to appear slow or awkward in daily life.
He never expected Mo Qi to be such a case.
Although Mo Qi’s behavior was quite different from what he had imagined, he had never met anyone else like this before, so it was hard to judge.
Maybe Mo Qi’s situation was simply unique.
No matter what, this was still a blessing in disguise.
“That’s great. You don’t need to thank me—this is what you deserved.”
After all, if the man hadn’t been so worried about him and risked everything to take the blow for him, this opportunity would never have happened.
And if Mo Qi was really as smart as he claimed, Mo Xiu would feel much more at ease.
“Oh, and that wasn’t a demon core. Those were mutated animals and plants, not monsters. What they have inside is called a crystal core—it carries most of their energy.
Absorbing it can greatly improve abilities, but it also comes with danger…”
Now that he believed Mo Qi could understand, Mo Xiu began explaining everything that had happened today—what should and shouldn’t be done—hoping to help him avoid risks in the future.
Mo Qi knew Mo Xiu meant well, so he nodded obediently.
So it turns out that in this world, demon cores are called crystal cores.
Seeing that Mo Qi was listening seriously, Mo Xiu continued explaining. But halfway through his words, a loud rumbling sound came from the man’s stomach.
“Hungry?” Mo Xiu asked softly.
Only then did he realize it was already late, and Mo Qi should indeed be hungry.
But when Mo Qi nodded, Mo Xiu suddenly felt troubled.
His backpack had plenty of space, but aside from a bottle of water on the side, it was stuffed full of medicine—there wasn’t a single piece of food.
Then he noticed Mo Qi staring at something.
Following his gaze, Mo Xiu saw the corpse of the mutated gray wolf nearby.
He raised an eyebrow.
Well, there’s the food.
He quickly cut open the wolf’s belly, removed several pieces of meat, and asked Mo Qi to gather dry branches for firewood. Soon he set up a simple roasting rack.
After everything was ready, he used his lightning ability to ignite the wood and began roasting the wolf meat.
“Too bad we didn’t bring any seasoning.”
The meat of high-level mutated beasts usually didn’t taste very good.
Maybe it was because the stronger they were, the worse they tasted—so they wouldn’t easily become someone’s food.
The meat was already tough and dry. Without seasoning, it would probably be even worse.
Mo Xiu sighed. In the apocalypse, they couldn’t be picky—having something to eat was already good enough.
But just as he finished speaking, Mo Qi pulled several small packets of seasoning powder from his pocket—different kinds too, clearly the stash of a food lover.
“When did you prepare those?” Mo Xiu asked in surprise.
“I didn’t. Xie Wu did. He packed them into small bags and kept them in the drawer so it would be convenient to bring when going out on missions,” Mo Qi explained while sprinkling seasoning on the wolf meat.
“I see.”
Mo Xiu smiled. “That Xie Wu is quite thoughtful.”
He occasionally turned the meat on the sticks so it roasted evenly. The atmosphere between them became relaxed.
At this moment, Mo Xiu was only thinking about how to roast the meat better so Mo Qi would enjoy eating it.
As for whether they would be delayed or miss the returning supply team—he didn’t care.
After all, his goal for this trip had already been achieved.
He found the mutated gray wolf, his ability level increased, and Mo Qi’s condition had improved.
Not to mention the entire backpack full of medicine—an unexpected gain.
This trip had truly been worthwhile.
The wolf meat cooked quickly. Mo Xiu took a piece, tasted it, and found it better than expected. He cut it into smaller pieces with his dagger, placed them on clean leaves, and handed them to Mo Qi.
Mo Qi took a bite and nodded.
The meat was tough and a bit hard, but strangely it tasted somewhat like beef.
“If this were stewed for a long time, it might taste even better. We should bring the rest back and let Xiao Wan cook it—she’ll definitely make something delicious.”
While eating, Mo Qi occasionally fed pieces to Mo Xiu, who was focused on roasting.
Mo Xiu opened his mouth and ate the meat he offered. His lips accidentally brushed Mo Qi’s fingertips, but he didn’t notice.
As Mo Qi’s fingers touched his lips, it felt as if he had been shocked by electricity.
A faint current seemed to travel from his fingertips through his entire body, leaving him numb and tingly. Even his heart skipped a beat.
Mo Qi licked his lips.
The feeling was unfamiliar—and strangely addictive.
Looking at Mo Xiu’s lips, he swallowed.
If he kissed him… would it feel even better?
Hmm…
He suddenly understood why so many people liked having a cultivation partner.
Having a partner really did feel different. This kind of intimacy couldn’t happen with just anyone.
Once the realization hit him, it felt like a door to a whole new world had opened.
Suddenly, Mo Qi’s mind filled with the dual cultivation techniques he had seen before.
If only he had studied them back then instead of dismissing them as useless.
Now he had only one feeling:
Regret.
Still, there was no need to rush things.
Mo Qi silently reminded himself. He had only just realized the other person’s feelings—acting too eager now would make him seem shallow.
After all, he was the Demon Lord. He had to maintain some dignity.
He couldn’t let his future cultivation partner think he only cared about physical pleasure. Between them, it should be more about a connection of souls.
After all, when absorbing the gray wolf’s core earlier, his divine consciousness had flowed smoothly through Mo Xiu’s meridians and mind.
Such compatibility proved they were meant for each other.
So the extremely “prideful” Demon Lord could only secretly suck on the fingertip that had just brushed Mo Xiu’s lips when the other wasn’t looking.
After savoring the sweet feeling in his heart, he smiled again and offered more meat.
Mo Xiu didn’t look back and kept working. But after eating a few more pieces, he finally noticed Mo Qi’s strange behavior.
Mo Xiu stared at him for a few seconds but didn’t get angry.
He simply curled two fingers and lightly tapped the man’s forehead.
“Don’t suck your fingers. It’s unhygienic.”
Even so, when Mo Qi made a pitiful expression and tried feeding him again, he still ate the meat.
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